Banana-crate.



No 876,592. PATENTED JAN-l4, 1908.

T. H. RUDDIMAN. BANANAURATR APPLICATION FILED EAR. 16.1905.

, F ififienm, 117/571; or.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE H. RUDDIMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO BANANA STEEL CRATE (10., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

B ANANA-CRATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed March 16. 1905. Serial No. 250,399.

MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BananaCrates and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and ligures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to banana crates, especially designed for packing bananas for shipment, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a crate of the character described wherein the construction is such asto render the crate strong and durable, and wherein pro vision is made for suspending a bunch of bananas within the crate in a manner to perfectly protect it from injury during transportatio'n.

The above object is attained by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate and bag for the reception of a bunch of bananas, suspended therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the crate and bag. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in secti on, showing the manner of supporting the .bag within the frame of the crate. Fig. 4 s a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective, showing the construction of the rings and vertical bars of the crate, and showing the manner in which the supporting hooks engage the rope or cord attached to the bag.

The crate is preferably made in cylindrical form to give it the required strength, and comprises the top and bottom hoops or rings 1 and 2, and the central rings 3. Connecting said hoops and extending longitudinally of the crate are the slats or staves 4. The

' hoops are formed of channel iron, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5, whereby they are rendered very strong and light. The slats 0r staves 4 are also made of channel iron and are riveted as at 5 to the hoops, whereby a cylindrical or barrel-like structure is formed, which, although made of metal is exceedingly light and which possesses such strength as to enable it to be used over and over again in the shipping of bananas, without material injury.

To support the bunch of bananas within the crate, a bag 6 of burlap, or other suitable material, is employed which is provided at the top and a point near the bottom, and at its central portion, with an encircling strand of rope 7 which is sewed in or otherwise secured to the burlap or bagging, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. These strands of rope are so positioned as to register with the hoops 1 and 3 of the crate, and the bag is suspended within the crate by means of the hooks 8, one end of which engages loosely in the flange 9 of the hoops, and the other end engages said rope. The circle described by the rope 7 is of smaller diameter than that of the hoops of the crate, so that when all of the hooks have been engaged, as shown in Fig. 4, the bag is suspended centrally within the crate and is so held that contact thereof with the frame of the crate is impossible. It will be noted that the bottom of the bag does not extend to the bottom of the crate, thereby preventing the lower end of the bunch from injury, and that the upper end of the bag may be drawn together and tied, as shown at 10 in Fig. 2. After the bag has been properly suspended in the crate by means of the hooks, as shown, it is only necessary to place a bunch of bananas therein and close the upper end when the package is ready for shipment. By employing the strands of rope secured to the bagging which are engaged by the supspending hooks, the bagging is prevented from being torn and is thereby rendered much more serviceable, while the hooks are of a character not to become easily broken or torn from their place, making a shipping crate exceedingly strong and durable and admirably adapted to the transportation of bananas. The channel iron rings or hoops prevent the crate from collapsing and the channel iron staves or slats hold it securely against racking.

Having thus fully set forth my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

A banana crate comprising a plurality of 5 metal hoops having inwardly extending flanges, a plurality of vertical staves crossing the outer faces of said hoops and rigidly secured thereto, a bag having encircling flexible strands, depending within the crate,

hooks movably mounted in the flanges of 10 said hoops and engaging said strands to suspend the bag within the crate frame.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE H. RUDDIMAN. Witnesses:

E. S. WHEELER, I. G. HOWLETT. 

